Looking for ATV recomendations!

[Mactruck]

I'm going to be in the market for an ATV and was looking for some recommendations.

Here's what I'm looking for:

Reliable 4 wheel drive to use mostly for sport (70%) and some utility (30%).

Four stroke. (I'm unsure about air VS liquid cooled)

Ability to negotiate wooded terrain (bark busters are definetly being added )

Reliability and simplicity.



I'm buying a house next to a state forest and want the ability to play in the woods as well as be able to do work around the house.



I know alot of you guys out there in TDR land have them and being new to the ATV market just wanted to get YHO

Thanx,

Kevin

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

I am not sure exactly what kind of 4 wheeler you are looking for and if racks are necessary. I have a yamaha warrior which i have to say without a doubt is the most versatile 4 wheeler i can think of. I putt around up in the mountains or on trails, hit jumps or climb hills, or i can throw paddle tires on and go to the sand dunes, I use u clips and put on a big plastic tote to carry stuff when i go deer hunting. The stance and feel of the machine is superior to other more utiliy 4 wheelers. I think 4 wheel drive on 4 wheelers is overrated there isn't too much i can't go up on my warrior and if i can't make it i really shouldn't be going up it in the first place. I would highly recommend this 4 wheeler unless you need full size racks, i laugh when i go out with other people who have utility type 4 wheelers it is like me driving a corvette while they are driving a 57 cad LOL, again i don't know have much money you wanna spend if want something with racks and wanna go cheep i would recommend the honda recon or suzuki's new ozark

 

[Mactruck]

I prefer a little racking, just enough to put a little recovery equipment & tools on. This is not something I plan to use for overnights so racking (for camping) is not needed. It will mostly be used for sport so I'm thinking a part time 4 wheel drive is necessary. It will allow it to handle better as you pointed out. Connecticut woods can be tricky with river crossings and steep muddy hills so I'm not going to skimp w/ a 2 wheel drive model.



I also plan on getting a trailer for it so I can get firewood so 4 wheel drive is a must. But mostly I'll be playing on it.



I know there are companies make 4 wheel drive quads that are for sport as well as utility. Honda's seemed more geared towards utility and I'm unsure who does more sporty quads that are 4 wheel drive.

 

[Utah Willie]

Looking for ATV recommendations

I have a couple Honda 4 Trax 300 cc that I use for sport... touring on the miles and miles of local ATV trails... and utility... towing a yard trailer out to bring in wood and plow snow. They work just fine but I would rather they had the 2x4 option as driving them on a hard surface in 4x4 is tough on the drive train and they're difficult to steer. One rarely needs 4x4 but I have found it necessary at times... particularly on soft snow and sand. Many go for large, powerful engines and I suppose that is an advantage in certain uses but the 300 cc air cooled four-stroke single does a great job, giving me all the power I need until the tires lose traction. Then no amount of power will help. I also get great range on a tank of gas. I would do some research on automatic trannies that some have... . they may not give you good engine braking on the downhills. Drive shafts are nice to have. The chains can get caught up in weeds and such. Unless you are into just speed, I'd stay clear of two-strokes... . they will likely be next on the nix list for public lands.

 

[Okie-Go]

I have a new Kawasaki 650. I confess I have just rode it around teh yard. My neighbor has one I used for a whole weekend at the farm. At 6399 it wasn't cheap but I am sure it will last a long time with just regualar maintenance. I put the bigfoot kit on to help with the mud where I hunt at in east Texas. I like the idea of 0 finance till 03 like they said on tv.

 

[Morphious]

I'm not sure on the 4x4 part, would recommend yamaha as a good brand. I ride a yamaha raptor 660cc sport quad and enjoy it very much. I would definately get a watercooled quad, especially if you are in the southern states.



Morph

 

[RonaldLarson]

My choice..

Is an Arctic Cat or Suzuki. My 98 Cat 300 4X4 has been an extremely good and reliable machine. I looked at the 2002's and the 500 is something I would buy over any other brand. I have plowed heavy snow, rock and rode it hard for almost five years with no failures of any kind. I also like the fact that the Cat is made in the U. S. A. The engine/transmission are Suzuki and all the rest is Arctic Cat. The four wheel independant suspension is so much more comfy than solid axle, and four wheel drive is selectable, which is a gas saver when you don't need 4X4.

Ron

 

[6shotz]

ATV KING

My opinion... ... . Polaris 500 H. O. Sportsman or a 6X6 Max. I own both. The quad is fast, Automatic, only when you want it 4wd 2wd for dougnuts and rooster tails can pull a wheelie great headlights, independent suspension, towing capacity, and engine braking. The Max: will stop for nothing incredible, mpg, seats 2, rollbar,only goes 25 mph. , amphibious, can pull more than a quad, seatbelts,570 cc. only drawback is its wider than a quad so tight spots need care. By the way my max is for sale for 5000$ and it only has 65 hrs. on it

 

[Papa Joe]

Shop around. There are many varieties with 'claims to fame' and maybe you have particular need for a special feature. Having said that, Utah Willie was on the mark.



I've used two Honda Fourtrax 300s for everything, and I mean everything... ... ... . except racing. They're slow. But, they're dependable as mules.



Land surveying, huckleberry picking, skidding logs, moving trailers, retrieving wood, rescue work, hunting, fun, blah, blah, blah.



Joe



BTW, while you're spending the bucks - get a good winch and be done with it. Someday you'll thank me.

 

[Warpig]

Mac,



BUY A HONDA!!!!!! the rest in my opinion are junk. I have a 2000 Honda 450 es. You can beat the @#$% out of it, and it never breaks. Stay away from any quads with belt drive, they slip when they get muddy. If ya have the money, the Honda Rubicon is a great machine. For dependability get a Honda. I am also from Ct, but I bought mine in NH to avoid sales tax. I bought it from Scott Motorsport just outside of Keene NH. This place will beat any Ct dealer by at least $500. 00 And you will save almost $400. 00 in ct sales tax.

Also in our woods (ct) no non 4wd quad will touch a 4wd, and you can buy a nice plow for it. I have a 5ft cycle country plow and plow my road with it with no prob.

My bro inlaw lives in Higginum next to a great trail system (powerlines) If thats close to you you r lucky!



If ya have any questions, I'll be glad to help.



Tim W.

 

[ISBPilot]

Look around..........

... ... ... . go to some of your local dealerships and look at the ones you are interested in. If possible find a dealer who carries more than one brand and talk to the mechanics about which ones come in for repairs the most, ask about test rides.



I have two ATV's myself. A 94' honda 300 2wd and a 00' polaris 500 4wd. Both are 4-strokes but are totally different bikes. The honda has been a work horse and been pushed, pulled and winched out of places it should not have even been close too. I have mud machines tires on the rear and a winch on the front, 2wd gives you better handling and the tires and winch take you anywhere you want to go. I used to get it serviced once a year if it needed it or not . i currently use it to haul feed to cattle, pull a 5 foot mower, haul a 25 gallon sprayer, and pen cows. It is my day to day farm machine. The polaris is my wide open fun bike. Have a pair of paddle tires for the sand, causes an automatic smile. Have not abused it that much to know how it will hold up. People claim to have trouble with the belt slipping in wet or muddy situations. I feel this is due to the plastic covers that can flex and break their seal. Have picture in readers rigs of mine and my cousin's 500's loaded on a trailer behind my truck.



But it all comes down to what you prefer and how much you want to spend. Good luck and safe ridin' Oo. Oo. Oo. !



Todd

 

[BV]

ATV's

I have owned Honda and Yamaha and would buy both again.

 

[DarrellB]

They're all pretty good

I've owned 3 Polaris quads; a 96 425 4x4 Magnum, a 99 500 4x4 Magnum, and a 02 500 4x4 Sportsman X. I still own the last 2 and have had a great time with all of them. My 3 Polaris quads have been excellent machines and very low maintenence. the quality of them has gotten better every year I've owned one. It is amazing the things that they have done to the 02's that I wish they had done with my 99. I really like the new key starter switch, no more pushing a seperate button just turn the key like your truck. I also like Polaris's plastic, it's not real thin like Yamaha's and Kawisaki's and it's really holds up well over the years. As you can tell I'm kinda partial to Polaris, but I have had 3 of them and haven't been able to kill one yet. We ride quite a bit around here and my quads have been in about everything you can think of, mud, snow, water up to the handle bars, and that's all in one day. Polaris has many models to choose from and lots of different color options too. From the way it sounds you would be most interested in the Scrambler line though. Take a look at thier website they have a rider profile you can fill out to help you figure out what quad will suit you best.



www.polarisindustries.com



Darrell

 

[Joel Richards]

I have a '99 Polaris Sportsman 500 and love it. I have beat the holy living crap out of it, and it keeps on keepin' on. I've used it hunting, playing, clearing terrain - all without a problem.



I'm probably gonna get the new Polaris Sportsman 700 Twin by the end of summer.



A good friend of mine swears by Yamaha (he owns 3), and they do a great job for him - he mainly races them.



HTH

Joel

 

[Crazy Horse]

My wife and I got our 2 4x4 Honda 300's in 1990. I've worn out three sets of grips on mine over the years. It's been submerged under water many times, rolled twice and never quit running. In 12 years nothing has ever broke. It's the best $3850 I've ever spent. I hate walkin'. Here is some photos. Alaska Offroad

 

[Skydiver]

ATV's

I almost bought the the Honda 300 but I bought the YFM 350 Big bear Yamaha. I liked the oil cooler also. No problems.

This past hunting season I used a friends Yamaha Grizzly a good bit. It was very comfortable and wide. The Grizzly(belt drive) had to be reved up more than my manual trannie which caused more noise. Noise is not good for deer hunting.

All of the belt drive units I have experence with will slip the belt if they get under water. Not good.

Remember that a full time 4x4 will take more room to turn it.

I like how Honda has placed some of their engines with the crank shaft coming out the rear just like our cummins. This design gets more torque to the ground. These are push rod engines and MUST have the valves adjusted. One of my buddies failed to do this and burned an engine.

Tim

 

[swampfox]

I have a Yamaha 250, a 340 and a kawasaki 220. The yamaha engines are great. the kawasaki is comfortable and fast. all are two wheel drives... . I've had no trouble with any of them. If I were to buy a new one today I'd get a kawasaki because of the suspension. For driving any length of time 2 wheel drive is easier to steer. As a minimum get shaft drive... belts and chains are a pain and get independent rear suspension..... much more confortable than a straight axle. Fnally for sport/hunting use lighter is better. get the lightest machine that will meet your needs.

 

[Mactruck]

Thanks for the responses. Heres what I've nailed down.



1. Selectable 2 to 4 wheel drive option is a must for me. I agree with alot of you that 4 wheel is not needed all the time, but it's nice to have when needed.



2. Shaft drive is also a must. I don't want any slippage or chain slack catching weeds. Driveshafts are a proven system.





There is a Honda dealer nearby. I'm going to swing by later this week and get some info on the "Foreman" with thier Traxlock system(selectable 2 - 4 wheel drive ) We run nothing but Honda at our firehouse (Generators and portable fans) and I do have to say they are basically bulletproof. They always start when you need them too.

I do like the fact that Artic cat is made in the USA. However like everything else it's probably just "assembled" in the usa. I'm going to research them as well as well as Polaris.



Any thoughts on Air cooled Vs water cooled and should I have an oil cooler???



Also any other thoughts on alot of these electonically controlled shifters and such. I'm not sure about the reliability. How about auto vs standard shift?

 

[DarrellB]

Made In the USA

So are Polaris, well at least parts of them. Liquid cooled is quieter than air cooled and is a lot better if you are going to do slow speed work or a lot of slow speed riding. The liquid cooled quads wont over heat in those kinds of conditions. I have even used my Polaris 500 Magnum to rake hay. not the best set up for tight turns but it did get the job done. I know a few people that have had Hondas with the electric push button shift thing and they've had no problems at all out of them. As far as the belt drive quads slipping the belts when in water, I've had 3 belt drive quads and it's never happened to me yet. I've had all of them in water up to the handle bars and never had a problem, and the manufacturers are constantly making them better. Hondas are real good machines, just a little slow for me. The Kawisaki's are nice to but look a little light duty for heavy work, Yamaha, I think they are a little narrow and seem to be tippy on off camber stuff, Polaris has been good for me but they are on the heavy side for just trail riding but that added wait is nice when pulling because it gives you a lot of extra traction. The best advise I think I could give you is try and drive as many different brands as you can and see which one fits your needs the best. Oo.



Good luck on the purchase and let us know what ya get.

Darrell

 

[Diesel Freak]

Polaris all the way!



I have a 2000 Polaris Scrambler 500 4x4, and I love it! it is as fast as a Sportrax 400 EX, but it has reverse, a low range (I installed the transmission out of an Explorer 400) , and 4x4... but it is also not stock! There is a list of the Modifications to my Quad on my website.



www.mudrunner.sites.cc



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